细胞焦亡在动脉粥样硬化发生发展中的研究进展

Research progress of pyroptosis in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis

摘要:

细胞焦亡是一种程序性细胞死亡形式,其过程伴随明显的炎症反应。作为典型的慢性炎症性疾病,动脉粥样硬化(As)斑块中已被证实存在多种焦亡相关蛋白的特异性表达,大量研究表明细胞焦亡在As的发生发展中起着关键调控作用。本文主要聚焦于参与As的三种关键细胞:内皮细胞、巨噬细胞及血管平滑肌细胞(VSMC),系统综述了这三种细胞焦亡在As发生发展中的作用。此外,我们还全面总结了目前以调控细胞焦亡为靶点的抗As药物及活性化合物的研究进展,旨在为开发新型As防治策略提供理论依据和研究思路。

Abstract:

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by prominent inflammatory responses. As a classic chronic inflammatory disease, atherosclerosis (As) has been demonstrated to exhibit specific expression of multiple pyroptosis-related proteins within plaques. Accumulating evidence indicates that pyroptosis plays a crucial regulatory role in the initiation and progression of As. This review primarily focuses on three key cell types involved in As—endothelial cell, macrophage, and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC), and systematically summarizes their pyroptotic mechanisms and contributions to atherosclerotic development. Furthermore, we comprehensively summarize current advances in anti-atherosclerotic drugs and bioactive compounds targeting pyroptosis, aiming to provide theoretical foundations and research perspectives for developing novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of As.